that a man of Ezra's character, and high commission, would either have made such an addition to the sacred text as these vowels contain, or "dismissed" the venerable letters of the finger of God's own choosing, to • substitute in their stead a late fabrication, however pretty, of professed idolaters. Be in this what may, we have certain intelligence of what Ezra did, from what his own pen has left us, and all beyond that is but 6 conjecture without book. You mention, upon the ⚫ warrant of what Spinoza says,-a Jewish tradition of a synagogical dispute decided by the poor majority of two votes." Now, besides the futility of such a story, which a person of your penetration certainly sees through, I could have wished Spinoza's name had been left out. Spinoza is, I am bold to say, of as disgusting sound to the christian ear as Hutchinson possibly can be; and I hope Dr. Doig does not view them both in ⚫ the same light. There is another thing in your Letter,

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which I cannot but take notice of, where you say"You applied to the Hebrew rather too late in life, and "with a design, for which, you believe, I would hardly

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forgive you, if I knew it, and therefore you will not "tell me." My forgiveness, Sir, is of no great importance; but such as it is, I cannot allow myself to suppose a thing about Dr. Doig, to which I could refuse it. Sure I am, it has been no Spinoza-design: And what, if from your context, I should guess it to have been, what I know of one of my own brethren, and ⚫ have been told of an English Bishop of great conspicuity, with a view to confute Hutchinson, which is a laudable attempt, if Hutchinson be in the wrong, and needs no forgiveness. I began near fifty years ago C with

6

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with much the same view: I have read, carefully read, many of his opponents, Bedford, Shuckford, Sharp &c. and have got fully as much confirmation in my present notions, from the strain of their opposition, as from the strength of his arguments. Even Voltaire has strengthened my attachment to christianity.

'

I am glad, you are so fully pleased with my " Scep"tre," which, you see, goes on the same plan with the

Song," both of them strictly etymological, without the aid of allegory, which, you say, you are not fond of, ⚫ and which I do not understand the meaning of, after all the laboured explication which Bishops Brown and < Butler have given of that much used term. I may have ⚫ fallen into something like it now and then, but never had it formally in my eye, as I always found enough in the language itself for my purpose of breaking the shell to get at the kernel, without minding the technical terms of allegory, mysticism, and the like. But I must have done. Both paper and subject require it. You called upon me to write, and I have obeyed, perhaps "more plain," as you say, "than pleasant:" Whatever mine may be, yours, I find, is always pleasant; there is an art in that. Remember me to my brother beside you (Dr. Gleig) whom I congratulate on his late dignification. I owe him a Letter, and am afraid he will charge me with giving up the correspondence; but the truth is, I found I could be of no use to him in his great under, taking, and I could not think of both burdening him, and interrupting him with my heterogeneous stuff. He has my love and esteem, and when he is at rest from his present labour, we may renew our skirmishings—“ Priamus contra Achillem."

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• I shall call upon the good Laird (Ochtertyre) some of these days, when I have collected any thing to amuse him: For instruction is beyond my sphere. I make your concluding prayer most heartily mine, with this addition-That we may meet, dignante DEO, and talk ‹ Hebrew and Greek together in Abraham's bosom. In which hope I rest,

Yours in all sincerity of esteem,

JOHN SKINner.

After his Manuscript on the "Song of Solomon" was returned from Stirling, Mr. Skinner had an opportunity of shewing it to several of his acquaintances, capable of forming some judgment of its merits, all of whom expressed the warmest approbation, both of the piety of his design, and of the happy manner in which it was executed. By means of his Son at Aberdeen, it was also submitted to the inspection of some learned Divines in England, amply qualified by their knowledge of the Hebrew language, to appreciate the usefulness of a work, which derived its chief value from a judicious application of the radical meaning of such of the expressive words of that language as occur in this wonderful portion of the sacred volume. While these English friends took the trouble of revising the Manuscript, and pointing out some things worthy of notice in the way of preparing it for the press, they at the same time regretted that works of that nature, having little recommendation that was likely to render them popular, there was of course but little encouragement for their publication. To this opinion, founded on the obvious risk of engaging in such speculations, it was

in some measure owing, that this new version of the Canticles had not been sooner offered to the public. It is now to make a part of these posthumous volumes, as, what the Author used to call it, his "favourite work," under the modest title, which he prefixed to it, of"An Essay towards a literal," by which he meant, "a "true radical Exposition of the SONG OF SONGS, which " is SOLOMON'S." In the form of a Proæmium, or prefatory address, couched in some elegant Latin lines, the learned reader will find a concise account of what he has to expect from this humble attempt to display the tru ly christian object of that divine POEM, whose constant. subject is the love of Christ to his church, and the love of his church to her Jesus.

About the time, when Mr. Skinner finished his Essay on the Canticles, which, he used to say, "was so agree"able an employment, that he was almost sorry when it "was concluded," he was applied to on another theological subject, to which he had long turned his thoughts, as a matter worthy of the most serious attention. His Common-place Book abounds with a variety of Extracts from different authors, shewing their opinions of what christians are taught to believe respecting the nature and mode of existence of the adorable TRINITY. In one place he observes, that "the oldest heretics perhaps on "the subject of the Trinity were the Noctians, or Sabel"lians, who taught one Hypostasis in Deity under three "names or appearances. Some time after them arose

the Arians, who taught that the Father exclusively (6 was the One supreme God, that the Son was be"gotten or made, and that the Holy Ghost was either

an

"an attribute, or a creature. This was the Arian Tri

nity, in opposition to which the Athanasian Creed "says the Godhead of the Father, Son, and Holy "Ghost, is all one, the glory equal, the majesty co-eter"nal, and on this foundation, it is the belief of many "sincere, and well-informed christians, that in the one, "undivided, unbegotten, self-existent Essence, which "the Hebrew scriptures call JEHOVAH, there are THREE "co-equal, co-ordinate, co-eternal Subsistences, or Per

sons, who have become Aleim (the Hebrew word tran"lated GoD) that is, under covenant, or agreement, in "terms whereof they have taken to themselves the œco"nomical titles of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in "whose name all christians are commanded to be bap-. "tized."

As exhibiting a branch of the fundamental doctrine thus briefly stated, there appeared, in the year 1795, a pamphlet, published in Oxford and London, under the title of " Θεανθρωπος της Καινής Διαθήκης, or, An Appeal "to the New Testament, in proof of the Divinity of the "Son of God. By Charles Hawtrey, M. A. Vicar of "Bampton, Oxfordshire." According to Mr Hawtrey, the dispensation of the Osagos is the dispensation of the λoyos united with man's nature, and by this union he became the Son,-the term Son being first assumed, when the 2005 or word was made flesh, before which the word was not necessarily Son. But after the incarnatión, the term Word is dropt, and Son only used-and as "the "term Son necessarily implies subordination and subjec"tion to the will of the Father, which subordination" and subjection are as truly such if voluntary, as if by

"the